Let the Stars Guide You Home
by hoktauri
Summary: What was supposed to be a rare relaxing evening on the mainland turns into disaster when Aiden Ford is lost.


The sky was clear, and night had fallen on the mainland. Teyla was visiting the Athosians while, back on Atlantis, Major Sheppard scheduled his team's next few missions around the Gate addresses the other Elizabeth Weir had given them.

Rodney was taking a rare moment to relax-rare for him to be taking a break at all, rare for there to be the opportunity in Pegasus-because he'd flown Teyla out to the settlement and there was really nothing else to be done. Aiden had known this, and so accompanied them.

They sat with Teyla around the campfire, enjoying the food that was offered to them (after Aiden assured Rodney there was nothing citrus-y about it). When Teyla was firmly ensconced in Athosian politics and storytelling, Aiden nudged Rodney awake and headed into the woods.

Rodney mumbled about tripping over things and possibly breaking his neck and wouldn't that be nice for the expedition until they cleared the edge of the forest and walked into a large open field.

Aiden took a moment to find a good spot and shrugged off his pack, pulling out a blanket and unfurling it on the ground. Rodney watched in rapt attention as he unclipped his vest and set it aside.

"You planned this, didn't you?"

Aiden grinned and laid down on the ground, pointing up at the night sky.

"Wanted to see what stargazing's like in another galaxy," Aiden said as he laced his fingers behind his head.

Rodney gave him a small smile and laid down beside him.

"You know, sometimes it amazes me that the Ancients were so advanced," Rodney said. "The Gate system itself-and you are never to repeat this to anyon-the fact that they were able to catalog enough stars in not one but _two_ galaxies, and account for things like interstellar drift, and build this whole thing on an idea that's only a theory on Earth, and send people across the galaxy as nothing more than a molecular data burst... Sometimes I find it well and truly astounding."

For a minute they were both silent. Aiden removed one hand from behind his head and rested it in the space between them.

"I can think of one thing we did better than the Ancients," Aiden said.

"So help me, Aiden, if you say something corny like 'we know how to love' or some other New Age drivel-"

"Hey, I don't say stuff like that. You're the one who, not twenty-four hours ago, said he was glad we didn't die in this timeline because now we have a chance to be together."

Rodney laughed. "I said that and you're still here?"

"Writing instruction manuals," Aiden said with a chuckle.

"What?"

"That's what we do better than the Ancients."

"Oh, yes," Rodney agreed. "Would it have killed them to leave something in the database on Zed-PM production or what not to touch or any weaknesses the Wraith might have?"

"Or how to kill nanites," Aiden said softly.

Rodney turned his hand and laced their fingers together, giving Aiden's hand a gentle squeeze.

"We figured it out," Rodney said.

"Not before we lost some good people," Aiden replied. He paused before adding, "I almost lost you."

"I wasn't the one in danger," Rodney pointed out.

"No, but I didn't know that."

"We'll just say we both had something to lose that day."

Aiden stared up at the stars, wondering what kind of names the Ancients gave the constellations, trying to put the event out of his memory.

"Did you ever try the gene therapy?"

"Nah," Aiden said. "I wouldn't want to be a human light switch."

"I only do that to Sheppard, so you have no reason to think I'd force you to come to the lab every day. I'm sure you have better things to do than hang out with an obstinate astrophysicist."

"We gotta keep this quiet, remember?"

"It could be incredibly useful if you had the gene." At a glare from Aiden, he added, "And that's the last I'll say on the matter."

"Yeah, well, then Teyla'd be the only one without it, and I don't want her to feel any more like an alien than she already does. Especially the way Bates goes after her."

"She at least tried it, though," Rodney said. Aiden released Rodney's hand and rested it on his chest. "Sorry," Rodney muttered. "Matter dropped."

The sounds of the mainland surrounded them, the calls of night birds and insects. They could hear faintly the echoes of Athosian celebration in the distance.

"So what's your sign, McKay?"

Rodney turned his head to look at Aiden. Usually the use of his surname in private wasn't a good sign; Aiden did it in the field to maintain professional distance. Rodney still called him Ford during missions for the same reason.

"Seriously? Do you think I pay attention to that crap? Not to mention we're sitting under a different set of stars here than on Earth."

"I was curious. Sue me."

Rodney sighed. Sometimes he was reminded of their differences and wondered how this would even work-not that he thought Aiden believed in astrology anymore than he did. He was smart, smarter than Rodney first gave him credit for, and he hid it well under all the Yes, sirs and ma'ams he gave to Sheppard and Weir.

"I'm an Aries," Rodney said. "March twenty-fourth."

"The ram? That's pretty accurate," Aiden said. "You do push people around, Rodney."

"Hey!"

"You know it's true," Aiden said. "What do you think I am?"

"How should I know? I just said I don't pay attention to that stuff."

"But you know your sign," Aiden said, turning to look at Rodney with a smile. As soon as he caught his eye, Rodney's face lit up. He loved doing that to him.

"Fine, I think you're a Scorpio," Rodney said.

Aiden chuckled. "Why?"

"I don't know."

"Come on, doc. Think about it."

"I know your birthday, Aiden."

Aiden gave a weak frown, his eyes still playful. "No fair."

"You'd make a great Capricorn, though, oh, ye of level head."

Aiden grinned and sat up to kiss him. Then before Rodney could protest, Aiden straddled him, pinning his arms above his head. He could feel Rodney's immediate response between his legs.

He ground his crotch against Rodney's pelvis, enjoying the moan of ecstasy it elicited from his partner.

"Jesus, Ford," Rodney whispered.

"Feels like you've got a pretty level head yourself," Aiden said smugly.

"You're such a smart ass."

Aiden responded with another kiss and continued a steady motion with his hips. Within a few minutes, he felt Rodney tense beneath him as he came.

"I don't have a change of pants," Rodney mumbled when Aiden dropped his head onto Rodney's shoulder.

Aiden laughed.

"Fine, laugh at me," Rodney sighed. "You won't be laughing when it's you."

Rodney rolled a surprised Aiden onto the ground and undid his buckle. Reaching into his pants, he found Aiden was half-hard, but not for much longer as Rodney wrapped his hand around his dick. He nibbled at Aiden's ear and down his throat as the rhythm increased. After Aiden came, Rodney made a point to wipe his hand on Aiden's pants leg.

"McKay!"

"Told you," Rodney said with a satisfied smirk.

Aiden shook his head as he re-buttoned his pants. After another kiss, Rodney sunk back to the ground.

"Think we can sneak back to our rooms from the Jumper bay without running into anyone?"

Rodney shrugged. "Maybe. We'll check the life signs detector when we get back."

Aiden took Rodney's hand again.

"You know how on Earth, you can navigate by the stars?"

"Yes, why?"

"I wonder if they do anything like that in Pegasus."

"It'd be different on every planet," Rodney sighed. "No single map of constellations would be the same."

"What about here?" Aiden asked. "What if someone wanted to use the stars to find their way across the mainland?"

Rodney was quiet for a moment, and then he pointed to a cluster of stars. "See that?"

"Yeah."

"It's always reminded me of a... well, it's actually a dust cloud, not a constellation-'Wolf's Cave'. It looks like an archway, the way the stars are curved like that, and I immediately thought 'cave'. So that's what I call it, in my head. Of course, the Ancients already have names for everything, I'm sure. Once we find them..."

"We don't need their names," Aiden said. "We can use our own."

Rodney smiled. "What would Sheppard think about that?"

"Sheppard can stuff it if he doesn't like it."

Rodney turned his head to see Aiden was grinning.

"What else?" Aiden asked, giving Rodney's hand an encouraging squeeze. "What else do you see up there?"

Rodney's mouth drew up on one side, and he pointed out a few more constellations and the names he'd given them in his head: Weeping Willow, Jabba the Hut, Cat Mummy, The Laughing Nun.

Aiden busted out laughing. "The laughing nun? Where the hell did you come up with that?"

"See, it's got this cluster of stars on top that looks like one of those nun hats that Sally Field wore, and then there's the lower cluster that looks like a huge grin."

"Sally Field?"

"Oh, my god, now I feel old to boot."

Aiden laughed again, and said, "I know who she is, doc. Just wondering if I should be jealous."

"She played a _nun_ who could _fly_. She defied the laws of physics on a daily basis!"

"Didn't answer my question."

Rodney elbowed Aiden in the side. "I don't fall for nuns."

"Yeah, yeah," Aiden mumbled, rubbing his ribs. "You say that now."

Rodney sighed. "You know, we should probably get back to the city."

"Break's over?"

"'Fraid so," Rodney replied. "I've got simulations to run before we go off in search of our Zed-PM."

Aiden stood and pulled Rodney to his feet. Before he could stoop to pick up the blanket, Rodney had him wrapped in his arms, their lips pressed together.

"I'd have said I don't fall for brunettes," Rodney said, "but that would be a lie."

Aiden grinned and kissed him again.

* * *

Rodney was prepared to put on the professional face all the way back to the Athosian settlement, but Aiden wasn't. Once he had his pack situated on his back, he took Rodney's hand. It still surprised Rodney, especially that he seemed so at ease when he did it.

"Do you actually think we'll find a ZPM after all this time?"

"I don't know," Rodney replied. "We _better_ find one. We've been chasing after them long enough, even before we came out here to another galaxy."

Rodney's eyes had long-since adjusted to the darkness, and he made careful steps over fallen tree limbs and misplaced rocks. There wasn't so much a path to follow, and he wasn't even sure he could find the settlement on his own, but he trusted Aiden to get them back to the Jumper.

One of the planet's moons was now directly overhead; Aiden glanced up at it every now and then, pausing briefly to look at his compass. Rodney never complained; Lantea didn't have the same magnetic field as Earth, but it was remarkably similar. The Ancients probably picked this planet for just that reason.

"Are we lost yet?" Rodney asked when Aiden stopped.

"Shh. You hear that?"

Rodney craned his neck as if that would help him anything any better. "What am I supposed to be hearing?"

"Waterfall," Aiden said. "You don't hear it?"

Rodney shook his head. "Just our footsteps, now ceased, and the wildlife. The Athosians sound like they've tired out for the night."

"Come on," Aiden said, leading Rodney away from the settlement. "I want to see if I'm right."

"We shouldn't wander off," Rodney said. Even as they drifted further away from the settlement, though, Rodney could hear the echo of a waterfall like radio static booming around them.

"Why? You afraid to get lost, McKay?" They closed in on a river which seemed to increase in width and strength with every few dozen yards, the rushing sound of water growing louder as they followed along the riverside.

"More like attacked by wild animals that won't even leave so much as bones to identify us with."

The trees cleared, and they found themselves standing over a large canyon, staring down from the top of the waterfall. The water plunged down into a blind ravine, disappearing for a few hundred feet before fanning out into speedy rapids fed by dozens of small tributaries. Moonlight glistened off the water, throwing shadows on the cascades and the slick slippery-looking rocks trying to hide under the water's steep descent. The wilder the rapids, the more light they caught and bounced back.

"Wow," Rodney said. "I must admit: that is pretty spectacular."

"See, McKay? Told you it was a waterfall."

"Yeah," he whispered.

Aiden headed closer to the edge.

"What are you doing?"

"I just wanna get a better look," he replied. "Come on, how often will you get to see something like this?"

Rodney followed Aiden to the edge of the waterfall and together they peered over. Rodney leaned in only slightly, wary of the wet look of the dirt under their feet. He winced as Aiden laid on his stomach and crawled even closer to the edge of the falls.

"Okay, that's enough looking, right? We can go back to the settlement now."

"Just another minute," Aiden protested. "Then we'll go back, I promise."

Rodney tried to take in the view—it would've been magnificent, if he could concentrate on that instead of on the precarious perch Aiden made as he inched forward.

"Seriously, you're a little close to the edge there for my comfort."

Aiden turned his head and grinned at him. "I'm not going any—"

A piece of the ground gave way beneath him, and Aiden lurched forward. He scrambled backwards as Rodney reached out to grab him, but he slid down the small gradient the loose dirt had revealed. After sliding out of Rodney's reach, he managed to grab a small shrub growing out of the rock face as he registered that Rodney was shouting his name.

"Aiden!"

"I got it, McKay," Aiden said, digging the toe of his boot into the damp ground beneath him. He looked up to see Rodney on his hands and knees, reaching out for him. "Get back, McKay! It's not safe there."

"Oh, gee, I'm so glad you _listened_ to me when I was telling you the exact same thing sixty seconds ago!"

"Don't make this an issue right now," Aiden said as he climbed up. "Just get back."

Rodney backed up an inch or two, but continued to watch Aiden, reaching out every now and then when Aiden's foot slipped or he clambered about for another handhold. He settled for digging his fingers into the dirt and hauling himself along.

"Ford…" Rodney whispered.

Aiden's fingers dug into their next handhold, and when he reached up his other hand to scrape out another, the dirt under his left hand slid away, sending Aiden backwards, tumbling down the cliff face.

"Aiden!"

He'd dropped about fifty feet down before he managed to grab another shrub, but he was now dangling off the cliff face beneath the waterfall.

"Rodney! Get back! Get the fuck back!" he shouted against the roar of the water.

"Ford!" Rodney wracked his brain for something to do, scanned the area for a large branch or something, but nothing would be long enough.

"McKay! Get back to the Jumper and get some rope or something!" Aiden pulled himself up, closing in on the roots of the shrub. He was able to rest against the cliff face while he held on. "And get Teyla or some of the Athosians out here! They can help you," he shouted. "I'll wait here for you!"

Rodney barely heard him, something about the Jumper and rope, and someone to help him. He figured Aiden meant the Athosians. He was trying very hard not to panic, and not being able to see Aiden any longer, only barely hear him, wasn't helping anything.

"Just hold on!" he called down. "I'll be back as soon as I can!" He hoped Aiden had heard him.

* * *

Teyla, Halling and a few other Athosians were still sitting around a dwindling campfire when Rodney ran out of the forest, sheer terror etched on his face. Teyla was on her feet immediately.

"Rodney?" She stopped him in his tracks. "Where is Lieutenant Ford?"

"He fell…" Rodney panted. "Holding on… waterfall… gotta get rope… and help…"

Teyla pulled Rodney to one of the low benches around the campfire. Halling stood and offered him some water.

"You said that Aiden fell?"

"Yeah…" Rodney said, his breathing beginning to even out. "We found a waterfall… he wanted a closer look. Next thing I know, he's tumbled down the side of the cliff. He managed to stop himself, but he can't climb out."

"There is rope in the Jumper," Teyla said to Halling, and that was all he needed to hear.

* * *

Teyla, Halling and three other Athosians stood with Rodney looking over the cliff face.

"Aiden!" Rodney called down. He received no response.

"Lieutenant Ford!" Teyla called out, her voice carrying farther and louder than Rodney's. He winced at his own weakness, his inability to help Aiden even now.

"Aiden Ford!" Halling cried out, adding another reverberating echo to the canyon.

"Might he have fallen?" Teyla asked.

Rodney shook his head, rubbing his hands through his hair. "I don't know."

"We should get the Jumper and perform an aerial search," Teyla said. "If we do not find him that way, we will think of something else." She turned back to Halling. "Remain here; keep calling out for him. We will return shortly."

Halling nodded, and he and the other Athosians continued calling Aiden's name.

* * *

Rodney's hands were shaking as he took the pilot's seat of Jumper Five. Teyla sat in the co-pilot's chair, binoculars in hand, and paused in her brief pre-flight check when she saw Rodney trembling. She stood from her seat and placed a hand on Rodney's shoulder.

"We will find him," she said, her conviction as strong as Rodney's panic. "If we are going to be any help to Lieutenant Ford, we need to concentrate our efforts."

Rodney nodded, giving his hands a quick shake. They finished the pre-flight check together and lifted off, heading back to the waterfall.

Teyla had the binoculars out, scanning the cliff face as Rodney edged the Jumper closer to it.

"I see no one," Teyla said softly. "We should expand our search to the river below. It is likely he lost his hold and fell. If that is the case, we have little time. The river loses heat late at night and the air contains a chill."

Rodney nodded and brought the Jumper up to the top of the waterfall, settling it a good distance from the edge of the canyon. Halling approached as the Jumper hatch descended.

"I believe we should search the river," Halling said. "I fear he may have fallen."

"I've already surmised as much," Teyla agreed. She gestured for Halling and the others to board the Jumper. "Dr. McKay, if you would take us to the bottom of the falls, we will continue the search. You should return to Atlantis and tell Major Sheppard what has happened. Have him gather as many people as are able to come."

"Teyla…" Rodney whispered.

Teyla smiled softly and pulled Rodney's forehead to meet her own. "We _will_ find him, Rodney."

She ushered him back to the pilot's seat and he took them to the bottom of the falls.

* * *

As soon as Rodney was close enough to the city, he hailed Sheppard and Dr. Weir. Three teams were ready to go as soon as he stepped out of the Jumper, along with Dr. Beckett.

"'Sposed to be a simple trip to the mainland," Sheppard fumed.

"Could be worse," Stackhouse said. "Could be Wraith."

"Don't say that!" Markham whispered. "Now, you've gone and jinxed us!"

Rodney shifted to the co-pilot's chair as Sheppard took the controls. Three Jumpers rose through the bay doors and they headed for the mainland.

"What happened?" Sheppard asked.

"We were taking a walk through the woods and there was a waterfall. Aid—Ford wanted to get a closer look and the next thing I know, he's clinging to the side of the cliff face."

Sheppard's head twitched when Rodney almost called him "Aiden"; he caught himself, but he noticed that Sheppard noticed. Any other time, he'd hope it wouldn't cause any problems, but now he'd take all the problems the American military would give them if he just got Ford back safe to Atlantis.

"We'll find him," he heard Sheppard say quietly.

* * *

Aiden Ford could no longer hear the rushing waterfall overhead. In fact, he couldn't hear much of anything. Everything in him was protesting the fact that he was waking up; his head was pounding, his limbs were twitching, his heart was beating ever more rapidly the closer to wakefulness he came.

He remembered digging for another handhold, his grip on the shrub root growing precarious as the waterfall misted over him, slicking everything he touched. The dirt was damp and loose, but he could feel the shrub coming free of the cliff face the tighter he held on, so he knew it was only a matter of time before it would no longer support his weight. He'd dug in his toes as well, but before he could get a substantial grasp of anything, the shrub pulled out, halfway at first, then again, ripping roots out of the side of the canyon wall until finally, free and clear, it was no longer tethered to anything but air.

Aiden grabbed at the dirt, flinging the shrub out of his hand, digging into dirt with hands, fingers, nails, gaining no purchase. He slid further down the cliff face, stopping a few more feet down when his foot hit a rock, and then his foot slipped, and he had the distinct memory of smacking his face into the rock before he fell head over feet into the merciless river below.

The river was ice when he landed, and the little pinpricks of freezing cold signaled every nerve ending to fire up. Pain overtook him, and he happily succumbed to unconsciousness before he surfaced, the whitewater rapids carrying him quickly away.

The river carried him a fair distance before depositing him partially on the bank. His arm was caught on a low-lying branch, water rushing around him and over his shoulders, spraying into his ear and up his nose.

He started coughing as he struggled to reach dry ground, every muscle in his body protesting the movements. He must've been knocked around against some rocks. It was the only thing that could account for all the bruises he felt beneath his clothes.

Aiden collapsed, shivering, on the bank of the river, curling up to conserve warmth. He scanned the sky and then the glanced up and down the river.

He sat up and began to strip all of his wet clothes, down to what was necessary. He was freezing, and despite the bite of the breeze over his bare skin, it was preferable to hypothermia. He sat on the bank in his boxers and tank top, going through the pockets of his TAC vest as he tried to remember where he kept his matches. Every move of his left arm shot pain down his side, so his search was slow.

He found the matches, and laid them on top of his wet clothes to dry off; walking just a few feet from the river, he managed to gather enough rocks and wood for a fire.

Aiden took extra sticks and drove them into the ground, setting up a makeshift clothes line on which he hung his clothes to dry. As he warmed himself by the small fire, he became aware of something tacky dried to the side of his head. He reached up and touched his temple, wincing at the tenderness underneath his fingertips. Half-dried blood tinged his fingers in the firelight. He grabbed up his vest again and pulled out the small first aid kit and set to tending his wounds, discovering several smaller cuts and abrasions as he tried to fight off the shock of what had happened.

* * *

Sheppard lowered Jumper One to the ground opposite the base of the waterfall. He approached Teyla, who'd waded up to her knees in the quickly-moving river, holding onto a rope. The current was carrying the rope along with it, but Teyla had it twined around her arm and she was holding it steady. The rope moved, quivered slightly, and one of the Athosian men surfaced, sputtering up water. He managed to get to his feet and shook the water from his hair.

"This water is too rapid for anyone to be underneath it," he said. Teyla nodded.

"We must travel further down the bank."

"Teyla," Sheppard called out. Teyla waded up to the embankment and Sheppard held out a hand for her as she climbed out of the river.

"I believe Aiden was carried very far downstream. It is the only thing that would make sense. He is not still on the cliff face, and this water is moving too quickly for him to have been able to reach the embankment."

"You seemed to be doing okay," Sheppard said.

"I was not in the worst of it," Teyla said, gesturing to the waterfall. "At the base of the falls, this water moves very rapidly, and the closer to the middle of the river, the stronger the current. Here on the edge, it is manageable, but Aiden would not have had that luxury."

"All right, we'll split into teams of four. Two teams each direction."

"It is unlikely he was carried _upstream_, Major," Teyla said.

"True, but if he was able to make it to the bank, he might have headed back to the settlement."

Teyla quirked an eyebrow at him. "The settlement is not in that direction."

"Can we discuss Major Sheppard's directionally-challenged nature at a later time?" Rodney asked. "Ford is _missing_, possibly _injured_."

Sheppard ignored the outburst. "Go with Teyla's search party, head downstream. My team will go ahead in the Jumper. We'll radio if we see anything."

Rodney pulled out his life signs detector as he followed Teyla and Halling down the river bank, trying not to let the guilt consume him. It was his fault Aiden had fallen in the first place—he should have been able to grab his ankle before he dropped the first time, should have been able to come up with _something_ to pull him up the second time.

As he counted the members of the search party on the ground and in the air, he fiddled with the detector to widen the net for picking up life signals. He only managed to boost it by about fifty feet, but hopefully, that would be enough.

* * *

Aiden smothered the fire, his clothes having dried enough to don again, and he shrugged back into his vest. He'd already planned to follow the river upstream, back towards the waterfall. That would likely be where the search would begin, and it was his best chance at catching up with them.

His clothes still moderately damp, Aiden began to shiver, and he wrapped his arms tightly around himself in an attempt to keep warm. He paused a moment and looked up at the sky again. He could pick out the Wolf's Cave that Rodney pointed out, the Cat Mummy, and the Laughing Nun.

He managed a weak smile and picked up speed, eager to get back home.

* * *

Rodney got into a routine of checking the detector, taking in their surroundings, and watching the Jumper fly ahead before doubling back.

Teyla led the way along the river bank, traveling a few yards into the woods to look for signs of Ford's presence.

"Hold on," Rodney said. There was a blinking light heading towards them on the detector, just entering signal range.

"Dr. McKay," Teyla whispered. "Do not move."

A minute later he understood why she said that. A creature lumbered towards them, almost like a bear with antlers.

"What the hell is it?" Rodney quickly whispered.

"It appears to be a _fenja_," Teyla whispered back. "I have only seen a handful of them in my lifetime."

"What. The hell. Does it want." Rodney whispered, dropping his voice as the animal drew closer. Teyla had stopped as the animal approached her. It sniffed at her hair, and Rodney nearly fainted right there. The only thing that kept him upright was the silent watch of the Jumper overhead, a reminder of why he was out there in the first place.

"I believe it is merely curious," Teyla replied as the animal paced towards the river, dipping in a paw and flinging water. After a few good swats, it brought out a fish.

"Can we move now?" Rodney asked. From the corner of his eye, he saw Teyla moving forward very slowly.

He followed her lead.

Once they were out of sight of the animal, Teyla quickened her pace.

* * *

Aiden followed the river a long while before the trees started to crowd overhead. He frowned, looking through the leaves to find the stars, but the branches blocked his view of them. He wondered if he was headed in the right direction; the river flowed through the bottom of a canyon, so it was unlikely that any trees would grow overhead to cover the sky so much. It wasn't like there was any other direction to go—walking downstream would only take him further away from the falls.

He sighed, and kept walking. He must have drifted a lot further than he originally thought.

* * *

"_Teyla, McKay, it looks like we've got a problem,"_ Sheppard radioed from the Jumper.

"What is it?" Rodney replied.

Teyla stopped and walked the few paces back to Rodney's side.

"_The river, it… there are a lot of off-shoots the further downstream we go,"_ he replied. _"If we don't find him before too long, there'll be too much ground to cover by sunrise. We'll need to re-group and maybe bring a couple more teams. Have you picked up any additional life signs yet?"_

Rodney exchanged a glance with Teyla. "Only the feral and cuddly variety."

"_All right. Keep looking down there. I'll circle around the east side of the river, have Markham and Stackhouse take the west. Maybe we'll get lucky."_

"Let's hope so," Rodney replied. Teyla placed a hand on Rodney's shoulder and gave a gentle squeeze. Then she turned and they continued walking.

* * *

Aiden ran into a problem. The river forked, and he had no way of knowing which way would lead to the canyon.

Peering up through the branches, he scanned the sky again. He pulled out a power bar and began to eat it as he waited for the breeze to blow the branches around so he could actually see some stars. He recognized how tired he was; all of his bruises throbbed, and he thought about how worried Rodney would be when he saw them.

The cut on his temple had re-opened as well. It was probably his cap scraping against it, but if he didn't wear it, he could lose too much body heat. The damp clothes in the chill wind were already sapping enough of that.

When the wind came through, he caught a glimpse of stars, but couldn't make out any of the constellations Rodney had pointed out.

He glanced to the parting rivers again, dropping to his knees on the bank. He gently touched his side, his ribs aching the more he moved. Pushing the pain aside for the moment and finishing the power bar, he pulled out his canteen to slake his thirst and waited again.

This time, when the breeze blew through, his eye caught the cluster of stars that made up the nun's hat. Aiden smiled. He knew the way to go.

* * *

"_I'm going back to Atlantis,"_ Sheppard said over the radio. _"We need to widen the search area, and we don't have enough people for that."_

"We will continue to search along the main river," Teyla said. "Dr. McKay believes we are close."

Rodney didn't meet her eyes.

"_I sure hope so, Teyla."_

Teyla placed a hand on Rodney's arm. "There is still hope."

Rodney nodded, and walked ahead of her, going back to his routine of detector-surroundings-Jumper. Markham and Stackhouse were in Jumper Two with Dr. Beckett, and they continued to circle overhead.

* * *

The river began to widen and the trees began to clear. Aiden felt hopeful as he walked, having more evidence that he was going in the right direction.

He clutched his side again, pausing to take in a deep breath. His ribs hurt like a son of a bitch, and he wondered if they were broken and not merely bruised as he first thought. He rested a hand against a tree and doubled over, the left side of his chest feeling empty even as he deepened his breaths. The pain was too sharp to be a stitch from all the exertion, but all the same he thought he could wait it out.

He took a few more steps forward, half-bent as he walked, his hand balling his shirt within his fist underneath his TAC vest. He'd loosened it a while back, feeling constricted by the Kevlar.

Stopping again, he tried to breathe deeply and he heard himself wheezing. Something was tickling his throat. He coughed to dislodge whatever it was, drool leaking from the corner of his mouth.

When he wiped it away, he saw that it wasn't drool.

It was blood.

Aiden tried not to panic, but the fear that rose in him was powerful. He was out here alone, with no way to know if anyone was coming for him. He should have stayed where he was and lit a bigger fire, sending smoke signals to show his friends the way to find him. To show Rodney how to find him.

He coughed again, more blood splattering the ground, his hand, his shoe. He dropped to his knees involuntarily, and before he could think to stop it, he fell sideways against the soft wet leaves on the forest floor. The wheezing continued, he noticed, and then he noticed nothing more.

* * *

The river slowed beside them, and Teyla paused as Rodney caught up to her. They'd come to their first fork.

"What do you think?" Rodney asked, glancing at the life signs detector.

"It is difficult to say," Teyla replied. "There's no way to tell in which direction the current took him."

Rodney searched the forest floor, and upon locating a large log, pocketed the detector and hefted one end of it. "Help me with this," he said.

The log was about Teyla's height, once they'd stood it on end. Rodney took one end into the river, and Teyla followed until they were both knee-deep. With the release of the log, the current easily swept it to one fork of the river.

"That way," Rodney said.

"How clever," Teyla said.

"You know me. Genius and everything."

It was only a few hundred feet until Rodney came to a halt. "Teyla!" he hurried over to her, pointing at the detector. A blinking immobile dot appeared at the top of the screen, just inside the range of the detector.

"Which way?"

Rodney pointed her ahead, and they both took off at a run.

"Carson, this is McKay, do you read?" he called, panting every few words.

"_Loud and clear, Rodney. Any luck?"_

"I think so," he huffed. "Have Markham… Stackhouse… turn around, meet us."

"_Will do."_

"Dr. McKay!" Teyla shouted from a few yards ahead. "He is here!"

Rodney rushed ahead, ignoring the burning in his lungs and sides at the activity.

"Aiden!" Rodney all but crashed to his knees beside the Lieutenant.

"He is not responding," Teyla said. "His pulse is weak. Is Dr. Beckett on his way?"

"Yes, yes, I radioed on the way over." Checking Aiden for injuries, he rolled him gently onto his back. He spotted the blood on his mouth right away. "Oh, god…" he whispered.

"Rodney, he will be all right," Teyla said gently. "We just have to wait for Dr. Beckett. He made it this far upriver, he will make it back to Atlantis."

Jumper Two flew overhead, circling over the trees. Markham landed by the river and the rear hatch dropped, Beckett wheeling out a gurney as he strolled quickly to Aiden's side.

"What is it? Is he going to be fine?"

"Rodney, I just got here, give me a minute." He covered Aiden's face with an oxygen mask and prepped him for transport.

Rodney bit his lip to keep from opening his mouth again. Beside him, Teyla touched his arm, and gave him a smile when he looked at her.

Beckett frowned. "We need to get him back to Atlantis now."

Markham helped load the gurney back onto the Jumper, and Rodney followed along.

"I will let the others know to return to the settlement," Teyla said.

"I can't wait for you, Teyla," Beckett said. "The Lieutenant needs immediate medical attention."

"I understand. I will return to the city with Major Sheppard."

She gave Rodney a nod as the hatch closed.

* * *

"_Did you know? I didn't know."_

"_It was news to me, as well, Major. I believe they were quite careful."_

"_Yeah, but… McKay? Careful?"_

_Teyla laughed. "It is rare, Major, I grant you that."_

"_You know, I'm sitting right here! You can stop talking about me anytime."_

"_Nah, I like ruffling your feathers."_

The conversation drifted in and out of Aiden's head. He tried to take in a breath but his airway was restricted. There was something in his mouth.

"_Aiden? Carson, I think he's coming around."_

"_All right, let's take a look. Pupils are responsive, that's a good sign. Aiden, can you hear me, lad? Lieutenant?"_

"_He can't exactly respond with a breathing tube down his throat, now can he?"_

"_Yes, Rodney, I am aware of that, thank you."_

"_Ford, do you read?"_

"_Perhaps we should leave, Major. Surely Aiden will not wish to be burdened with so many visitors when he wakes."_

"Wakes…" he mumbled. Or tried to mumble.

"Aiden?" _A familiar voice, the voice of home._

"All right, son, I'm going to need you to take a big, long cough for me, all right? On the count of three: one, two… three."

Aiden coughed as hard as he could and felt something like sandpiper scrape up through his throat. He gagged on it, choking and coughing even after it was already gone.

"Rodney?" Aiden tried to open his eyes, and it was a struggle, but seeing Rodney's smile made it worth the effort. A straw was placed near his mouth, and he grasped for it as he glanced up at Dr. Beckett, slurping a slow gulp of water.

"Hey," Rodney said. "Welcome back."

"Did I leave?" His voice sounded raspy, and every word was a hundred needles poking along his throat.

"Yeah, buddy," Sheppard replied. "You almost died on us."

"Aye, gave us all a right scare," Beckett replied. "You fractured some ribs, and with all the movement you managed to puncture _and_ collapse your left lung."

"Oh," Aiden said. "They give medals for that?"

Sheppard smacked Ford's foot lightly. "Just let us know if you need anything." He gestured for Teyla to follow him.

She gave a slight bow of her head to Rodney and Aiden and left the infirmary. Beckett excused himself to find a hand-held scanner.

"Hey," Aiden said weakly.

"Hey, yourself," Rodney whispered. "Don't ever do that to me again."

"Okay."

"I'm serious. It's really for your own good, more than mine," Rodney replied.

"Meaning?"

"Meaning I may have… accidentally, mind you… but see, the thing is…."

"McKay… get to the point."

"Right, right, yes, the point. Um, the point is, I may have actually… outted us."

"Seriously?"

"Don't hate me for it, I just… I couldn't help it, I'm sure it was all over my face, I'm a very expressive person sometimes, and, well… "

"Rodney?"

"Hmm?"

"I'm never gonna hate you," Aiden said.

He was answered with a smile. "That's good."

Beckett returned and made some notes on Aiden's chart. "I'll keep you for a couple of days. You had a nasty little tumble over that waterfall, nearly drowned, nearly suffocated, and you also very nearly bled to death."

"Sounds intense," Aiden said, trying for a smirk.

"As was the surgery to re-inflate your lung and stop the internal bleeding," Beckett said, holding the scanner over Aiden's chest. "But you'll be fine, it seems. I'll be taking you off active duty for at least a week. We'll see how that goes."

"Thanks, doc," Aiden whispered hoarsely.

"Right, now you get some rest. Rodney, don't keep him up all night." He winked at Rodney and walked away.

"Don't you have a voodoo goddess to appease?" Rodney called after him.

"He just… winked at you," Aiden said. "Should I be jealous?"

"You have more reason to be jealous of a nun than Carson Beckett," Rodney replied.

"Speaking of nuns…" Aiden said. He made a motion for the cup of water, which Rodney retrieved for him.

"Speaking of nuns, what?"

"Your wimple led me back," he said.

"Wimple?"

"You know… nun's hat?"

"Oh, oh… yes, yes, of course. Wait. You mean you followed that star cluster back to the main river?"

"Had to. Didn't know how else to get there."

"You could've waited wherever you were for us to find you."

"Didn't know how long that would be."

"Well, with your whole team out there, it would have been quite expedient. As it is, we found you in less than six hours. For the terrain we covered, not to mention as far as you probably were swept by the current, I'd say we did a very good job."

Aiden smiled. "Damn good."

"Still, you know the rules, you're supposed to wait for rescue," Rodney chastised.

"I'd still be out there… right now… if I'd waited. You know it."

Rodney sighed. "I almost panicked, you know."

"You? Really? That's shocking."

"Such a smart-ass," Rodney said. "If it weren't for Teyla, I'd have freaked out right there in the Athosian settlement. I'd have also been eaten alive by a wild bear-slash-moose thing that Teyla called a _fenja_."

"Oh. Glad I didn't run into one of them."

"Yeah, I'm glad you didn't either."

Rodney finally sat down when Aiden's eyes began to droop.

"You'll be here?" Aiden mumbled.

"Yeah, right here," Rodney replied, and Aiden fell asleep.

* * *

Their next mission was postponed until Aiden recovered. He spent most of his time in the lab with Rodney, drinking in his excitement as he discovered the purpose of a new piece of Ancient technology or redistributed energy so the generators would last longer.

Major Sheppard came into the labs one night to find them both grinning and whispering over something. Aiden was peering over Rodney's shoulder, pointing to something on his tablet.

"You can argue all you want, but you know I'm right," Aiden said.

"No, I know you're _wrong_. How many degrees in physics do you have, Aiden? Oh, that's right—none!"

"What _is_ your degree, Lieutenant?"

They both looked up and saw Major Sheppard standing there, arms folded.

"Chemistry," Rodney replied. "Oops, my name's not 'Lieutenant'."

Aiden gave him a playful shove.

"Ford, can I have a word with you?" Sheppard asked, and before Aiden could answer, Sheppard was headed for the corridor.

"Guess I'm in trouble," Aiden whispered, and he headed out of the lab.

Sheppard was halfway to the transporter before he stopped, his hands on his hips.

"Everything we say right now is off-the-record," Sheppard told Aiden. "So if you want to tell me to go fuck myself, you go right ahead."

"Um, yes, sir?"

Sheppard rolled his eyes. "What are you doing with McKay?"

The playfulness evaporated from Aiden's eyes. "I don't think that's any of your business, sir."

"It's my business when it affects my team. Hell, if you were on separate teams, I wouldn't give a shit. But as it stands, if one of you is compromised in the field—"

"We've discussed it," Aiden said. "That's all that needs to be said. Sir."

"I need you to be able to keep a level head when we're off-world."

"Understood, sir," Aiden gritted out.

"Is it loneliness?" Sheppard winced as he spoke. "There are women off-world…"

"That's not for me, sir."

Sheppard ran a hand over his face. "Yeah, it's not for me, either," he admitted.

"Sir?"

"You didn't ask, and I haven't told."

"Sir, we've kept it quiet for a reason, but all the same, we're cut off from Earth. I don't think anyone here really cares about all that."

Sheppard shrugged. "We may not be cut off for long. I don't want anyone caught off-guard."

"Yes, sir."

Sheppard folded his arms again. "It's obvious you make him happy."

Aiden dropped his head to hide his grin.

"Thing is, when we _do_ make contact with Earth again, what's gonna happen to McKay?"

"What do you mean, sir?"

"I mean… is there someone waiting for you on Earth?"

"You mean am I gonna drop him as soon as I have more options?"

"Yes."

Aiden shrugged. "Off the record?"

"Yes."

"He makes me happy, too."

Sheppard nodded. "Then I guess that's all I need to know."

"Thank you, sir."

Sheppard gave Aiden a slap on the shoulder. "Mission's back on schedule. We head out in two days. Enjoy the last of your recovery time, Lieutenant."

"Yes, sir," Aiden said with a nod, and Sheppard walked away.

When Aiden returned to the lab, he spun Rodney around in his chair and bent over to kiss him, desperate and hungry. Rodney moaned against Aiden's lips, and Aiden felt Rodney's hands shift up to clutch at his t-shirt, holding him in place.

They were both panting when he stopped.

"Not that I mind, but… what the hell was that for?"

"I just don't want you thinking you don't make me happy," Aiden said, pulling Rodney from the chair.

"Did Sheppard say something about us? 'Cause you know I can change the thermostat on his shower…"

"Don't think that's necessary. He was just trying to protect your virtue."

"What if I don't want it protected?"

Aiden grinned.

"Few people can stand being around me as well as you," Rodney added. "I figure there must be some attraction that's keeping you around."

"That's just it," Aiden said. "I want you to know, when we contact Earth again, I'm not going anywhere."

Rodney smiled. "Well, that's always nice to hear. Not that I'm used to it."

"Get used to it," Aiden replied with a smirk. "I plan to come up with ways of reminding you."

"You know, these simulations can be done later," Rodney heard himself say. "And I don't say that often. Never, in fact."

"Then we better take advantage of it now," Aiden said.

Aiden planted another kiss on Rodney's lips before leading the way back to his quarters, glad to know he always had someone to guide him home.


End file.
